It’s considerably more cumbersome than it should be, and a process as simple as searching for a particular type of file created on a particular day turns into a war with the system’s search tags. It just doesn’t feel as fluid, simple, or intuitive as it should be – and it’s a crying shame that it drops the ball.

I’ve heard that the search function in Windows 8 is similarly low-grade, in spite of Microsoft’s attempts to improve upon the experience. There are plenty of options out there for anyone who’s looking to spend a bit of time testing and researching a few alternatives. However; one of the best apps I’ve come across is a little platform known as Ultra File Search.

It comes in two flavors: lite(free) and shareware(paid license). It’s user-friendly, intuitive to a degree that should make the engineers at Microsoft feel a little embarrassed, and offers full support for long path names. Filters include date, size, file type and file attribute, and can be arranged in whatever fashion the user sees fit.

It’s simple, it’s efficient, it’s easy to use, and it doesn’t take up much space.

If none of the big names out there do it for you, and the Everything search engine isn’t your cup of tea, Ultra File Search could wind up being exactly what you’re looking for. You can download it here.

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Replace Windows Search with UltraFileSearch

Getting started with Linux can be an intimidating experience, at first. Whereas most other operating systems grant the user a certain degree of hand-holding, Linux effectively turns them loose and says “do as you will.”

Although certain distros do feature GUIs; the majority of them – and those which often provide what some refer to as a the ‘true’ Linux experience – are command-line all the way. As such, it’s a bloody easy thing to get lost amongst all the code.

Here are a few helpful tips I’ve discovered – perhaps they’ll help you find your way through.

Use root user privileges carefully

This is something you should remember on pretty much every operating system, but it’s doubly true on Linux. Just as someone with administrative privileges can irreparably bork up a Windows operating system, a root user can completely trash their Linux rig. Unless you’re extremely confident in what you’re doing, set a password for the root user – that way, whenever you’re entering in code that requires root privileges to execute (read: it will make a permanent change to your system); you’ll be prompted for a password.

An antivirus isn’t strictly necessary

…but it is recommended.

Linux is an inherently secure operating system, and as a result, there aren’t really any viruses out there specifically designed to infect it. Unfortunately, it can still be infested with Windows viruses as easily as any other system – the only difference is that on Linux you can unknowingly carry these viruses, spreading them to Windows PCs while your own system remains relatively unharmed.

There is no “right way” to do something

…but there are better and worse ways.

One of the biggest draws of Linux is its openness – you can pretty much carry out a task in whatever fashion you see fit. So long as you know what you’re doing, you’ll eventually complete said task. The power of Linux lies in the freedom it grants to its users – you’ve got the tools to get to the result you’re looking for, and the capability to make the process better.

Participating in the community is richly rewarding

There is, unsurprisingly, a thriving community of Linux developers and enthusiasts online. If you’re planning on delving deep into the operating system, it’d definitely be a good idea to get involved with other Linux users online. You’ll find support for any problems you might come across, tips and tricks for how better to use the OS, and you’ll probably even make a few friends along the way.

A list of basic commands

Which can be found here.

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5 Things to Remember When Using Linux

Some spots seem to have a nice strong signal while others are spotty. So, you end up picking up and moving around, looking for more “bars” on your wifi icon so you can hopefully plop your butt down and get some work done.

Or you’re setting up a new wifi hotspot for your home and you want to figure out EXACTLY where you should put the router to give you the strongest signal throughout your home.

Well, if you happen to have a Mac running OS X 10.6 or later, check out the free utility called NetSpot 2.

You can easily map out your network and find where the signals are weak and where they are strong. Plus, you don’t have to be a networking whiz to use it. You upload a space plan to the program, then use your Macbook to walk around and map the wifi coverage throughout that space.

If you’re not on a Mac, you’re SOL. However, there are other options for Windows, such as the HeatMapper tool from Ekuhau (also free).

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How To Find The Strongest Wifi Signal In Your Location [Wifi Site Surveys]

We’ll start with the process involved – which, in Windows 7, is actually fairly simple.

Simply access your Network and Sharing Center through the control panel (or the start menu), then click on “Change Adapter Settings” once the menu pops up. Once there, right click on your relevant network adapter (chances are good that if you’re trying to assign a static IP, you’re connected via ethernet, in which case it’ll be Local Area Connection) and select “Properties.” Next, click on Internet Protocal Version 4 and hit the “Properties” button near the bottom of the screen.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky. You’re going to want to switch from “Obtain an IP Address Automatically” to “Use the Following IP Address.” Your IP address should look something like 192.168.0.2, and your subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0. For your default gateway, simply enter in the IP of your router (192.168.0.1 is usually the magic number). If you don’t have a router, leave the Default Gateway blank. Check “Validate Settings on Exit,” and then hit “OK.”

Assuming you did things right, you’ve got your own static IP address set up!

Now…why exactly would you want a static IP address assigned to a computer?

There are a few reasons. First and foremost, you might be trying to run a local server of some kind – in which case, changing IP address wouldn’t exactly work so well for you. On older routers, you might need to assign a static IP in order for ports to be forwarded to your system correctly, and many VPNs require that you equip your system with a static IP in order to use them.

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How To Set up a Static IP Address in Windows 7 (And Why You’d Want To)

The sound in my browser completely dies. For all intents and purposes, I might as well be browsing with my system on mute. I decided I’d look into this glitch more closely – both to find a solution to the problem and to find out exactly why it exists in the first place.

Why Does It Happen?

Near as I can tell, the issue is related to Chrome’s flash player software. It doesn’t quite understand what to do with the HDMI connection if it’s introduced while the browser’s already running. As a result, the browser behaves as though the new device doesn’t exist at all and enters into a weird sort of limbo.

I’m not entirely certain of the technical details involved here. All I know is that, much like certain full-screen programs will crash if you plug in an HDMI cable while running them, Chrome’s sound borks itself if you add an HDMI connection while the browser’s open.

How Do I Fix It?

The easiest solution is to simply restart Chrome. Close your browser down completely, then start it up again and you should be fine. Everything should work swimmingly.

Unfortunately, this is a bit of a pain to do every time you plug in an HDMI port. Plus, sometimes closing the browser might not necessarily be an option.

If that’s the case, you’ll want to disable Chrome’s Pepperflash player(Credit to Craig Long for the solution). First, type “about:plugins” into the address bar, and hit Enter. You should find yourself presented by a long list of the applications and plugins that make up Chrome’s backend. The one you’ll want to find is Adobe Flash Player. It should be right at the top of the page. Click on details and you should see two separate files: pepflashplayer.dll and NPSWF32.dll. Disable the first one and your sound should start working – no restart required. As an added bonus, it shouldn’t crash on you the next time you plug in an HDMI cable.

Even if it does, at least you’ve an easy fix, right?

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Getting Google Chrome to Play Nice with PC-to-TV HDMI Connections

While the latter is still a bit out of reach for the average user, the former is getting a lot more common, particularly with the release of peripherals such as Microsoft’s Kinect system.

But what if you don’t have the money to shell out for a Kinect(or simply can’t be bothered to purchase one)?

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Flutter.

It’s simple (albeit brilliant) premise: the application connect’s with your system’s webcam, and allows you to use gesture controls to change, select, pause, and play music and videos once you’ve selected a ‘preferred’ app (basically, that’ll be the application Flutter controls by default). As an added bonus, the application is compatible with YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, and Grooveshark, in addition to supporting most media players (VLC, Windows Media Player, iTunes, and QuickTime are a few examples). An excellent idea, to be sure – and a great way to put your webcam to use when you’re not actually utilizing it for video chat.

When you aren’t using Flutter, it’s a simple enough matter to turn it off: all you need to do is toggle it with an icon in the system tray.

Flutter comes in a few flavors: those of you with Windows 7 can download the msi from the app’s official website, while those of you who plan to install and use it in Chrome can nab the app on the Chrome Web Store. It’s also available on the Apple iTunes store, as well.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Control Media Using Your Webcam With Flutter

I’m not one of those people – quite the opposite. Windows 8 isn’t my cup of tea, and as such, I’m quite thankful that I’m still using Windows 7, and I plan to keep on using it for as long as it’s feasible – probably until a new iteration of the Windows OS impresses me enough to merit an upgrade. Maybe Windows 9?

Anyway, we’re getting off track. Let’s say you’re one of those folks who got saddled with Windows 8: and you’re not particularly happy about it. Rather than having to go through the trial of learning how to use it (or worse, the process of uninstalling 8 and reinstalling 7), why not simply install Classic Shell? You’ll still have Windows 8, of course – so you may run into a few compatibility issues with older applications – but at the same time, you won’t have to deal with the Metro UI.

At the end of the day, that’s what most people (myself included) find most problematic about the operating system. You can check out the SourceForge page for Classic Shell (which includes a download link) here. As an added bonus, you can actually install it on older versions of Windows, as well: if, for example, there are some features in Windows XP that you miss having in Windows 7, Classic Shell’s just the ticket.

Installation is quite simple, and once you’ve got it installed, you can pick and choose which elements of classic Windows installations to keep or get rid of.   The best feature for many is the option to skip metro (though you can always do that by installing the Skip Metro Suite, as well).  Either way, you don’t have to slog your way through Metro whenever you start up the computer (or inadvertently press a Super key).

I’m sure there are those of you out there who thoroughly enjoy Metro, and think Windows 8 is a total godsend. For the rest of us, it’s a good thing projects like Classic Shell exist.

Image Credits: [1][2]

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Bring Windows 7 Back to Windows 8 With Classic Shell

Bmp: Stands for Bitmap. One of the most basic types of image storage, Bitmaps tend to be larger than JPEGs, as they’re completely uncompressed. The pixels of a bitmap are resolution-dependent, so it’s very difficult to change the size of an image without degrading the quality.  

Gif: Graphics Interchange Format. A type of compressed Bitmap, it allows for animation and transparency, but only allows resolutions of 256 colors.

Jpeg:  Joint Photographic Experts Group. Another type of compressed bitmap, this format eliminates details from photographs and the like that are typically not visible to the human eye.

Midi:Midi stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and is among the earliest audio file formats seen on the PC. Rather than being an actual recording, it’s a set of instructions for the computer which causes it to output audio in a particular fashion. As a result, midi files are incredibly small, but also tend to suffer in terms of quality.

Wav: The Waveform Audio File format is of much higher quality than midi files, but limited to a maximum size of 4 Gigabytes.

Mp3:  Mp3 stands for MPEG 1 or 2 Layer III. It’s pretty much the industry standard for audio compression and playback on electronic devices. It’s also a form of audio compression, which removes sounds that are typically determined to be outside the audible spectrum, developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group.

MPEG 4:  Essentially, a video compression technique similar to the audio technique for MP3s. MPEG4 is one of the standard video file formats for the PC, and provides a number of convenient features for developers, service providers, and users.

AVI: Stands for Audio/Video Interleave, the AVI format was developed by Microsoft back in 1992. Due to the many limitations of this file format, it’s not really as widely-used as it used to be.

WMV: Windows Media Video. Another video format developed by Microsoft (this one in 2003), the WMV compression format is actually a competitor of several other video formats, including the MPEG 4 association.

Exe: Executable. Basically, it’s a program. Careful when opening up an EXE if you don’t know where it came from- they occasionally tend to contain viruses.

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In Layman’s Terms: Issue 23 – Common File Types (Part 1)

Whatever the reason, there are some amazing independent titles out there. Today, I’m going to share just a few with you. And hey, those of you who haven’t already should check out the Humble Indie Bundle website. Watch that page – there are some amazing games available to those who donate. Yes, I’m aware you can download them without donating…but I maintain that you’re a terrible person if you do.

Anyway, to the list…

EvoLand:

Although this game is fairly small (and quite simple), it makes the list based on creativity alone. It’s a top-down action/adventure game, which very obviously takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda. The whole premise of the game is that you’ve got to wander around collecting chests, which ‘unlock’ new features in the game meant to represent the evolution of the games industry (and consequently, the increasing complexity of video games). It’s a fun idea, and even though it’s not going to keep you occupied for hours, it’s worth a look based on artistic merit alone.

Aquaria:

Amazing music? Check. Intriguing story? It’s got that. Refreshing and unique platforming elements? Definitely. Aquaria is an underwater platformer in which you play Naija, a mermaid-type character who appears to be the last of her people, and has access to a mysterious form of magic which involves music. That music can be used to manipulate the environment, change shape, and fight against Naija’s various enemies. There’s also a crafting system, and it’s more or less free-roaming (think Metroid). I could keep gushing, but I don’t think I’m doing it justice. Just play it, and see for yourself.

Cave Story:

You can’t really be surprised to see this game on the list. After all, it’s one of the most legendary indie games in the world. The brainchild of an eccentric, quiet Chinese man known only as “Pixel,” Cave Story is entertaining, polished, and well-designed. It takes the player back to a simpler time in gaming, and places an emphasis on exploration, with a number of areas to explore and a number of weapons (and upgrades) available to Quote, the main character (he’s a robot). The story’s not half-bad, either. Give it a look, it’s free (though you can purchase the enhanced edition on Steam, if you’d like).

Dungeons of Dredmor:

I’ve wasted many, many hours with this one. For those who don’t know about it, Dungeons of Dredmor is a Roguelike. It’s a roleplaying game where maps and enemies are randomized to an extent, death is permanent (if your character bites the dust, your save file is deleted – though you can disable this, if you like), and the whole point of the game is to gain better equipment and level up, then hunt down Lord Dredmor and smash his face in.

It’s good fun. The game has a light-hearted bent to it, with an oft-twisted sense of humor, chock full of references to gaming culture(you could probably write a book chronicling all of them). It’s a lot of fun, even if there is the occasional game breaking bug.

Lone Survivor:

I never thought a sixteen-bit survival horror game would actually give me the creeps…then I played Lone Survivor. The enemies you face are disturbing, to say the least (Silent Hill comes to mind…), but where the game really shines is where it starts messing with the player. It’s called a “psychological” survival game for a reason, folks. Play it- it’s worth a look.

Image Credits: [Free Indie Games][Bit-Blot][Romhack][Ars Technica][Calm Down Tom]

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Gamer’s Corner: 5 More Indie Games You Should Play

Thankfully, it’s actually very easy to set it up so that a program always runs as an administrator. The bad news, of course, is that you’ll need to do this on an application-by-application basis: you’re not going to be able to do this in batches.

Anyway, right click on the shortcut to the application (or the app itself) and click on the “Compatibility” tab. Down towards the bottom of this tab, there should be a small checkbox under “Privilege Level” that reads “Run This Program as an Administrator.” Check it, apply your changes, and exit out. Now, whenever you run the program, it’ll run with administrative privileges, and you’ll be prompted whether or not you want to allow the program to make changes to your system. Click on “yes,” and you’re golden.

As for how to get rid of that prompt, well…let’s just say that in order to do so, you’re have to pretty much disable Windows UAC…and you really don’t want to do that.

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Setting Applications to Always Run as Administrator in Windows 7